Sintesi Tavolo Morsetto by Ernesto Gismondi

White lacquered metal, plastic, rubber. Good vintage condition.

First edition (Cornalux bulb included).

The iconic design was created in 1976 by the Italian designer Ernesto Gismondi and manufactured by Artemide, which he founded in 1960 and guided to worldwide success, turning it into one of the main players in lighting design.

Gismondi made several variations of this dynamic light object that can be found in the design collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York. For this first edition of the lamp, Gismondi used the famous Cornalux bulb (B22-75 watt). Due to complaints about the high cost, he later started using another bulb and added an aluminum cap against glare. This rare desk lamp clamps to your work surface for as long as you need it and rotates towards your target of choice.

Ernesto Gismondi (1931), born in San Remo, earned a degree in aeronautical engineering at the Polytechnic University in Milan and graduated as a missile engineer at the Professional School of Engineering in Rome. By focusing on lighting design, he made an unusual, but fruitful career move. Together with designer Sergio Mazza he founded the Milanese Studio Artemide in 1960, which later developed into the Artemide Group. Gismondi became an acclaimed innovative designer who guided the Artemide Group to worldwide success, turning the company into one of the main players in lighting design and producer of icons like the Tizio desk lamp (Richard Sapper) from 1972 and the Tolomeo desk lamp (De Lucchi & Fassina) from 1986. Artemide worked with great designers like Gae Aulenti, Mario Botta, Sir Norman Foster, Luigi Serafini and many others. The company won several awards, including the Compasso d'Oro for lifetime achievement in 1995 and the European Design Prize in 1997. You can find Artemide lamps in permanent collections of the New York MoMA, the Victoria & Albert museum in London and the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome.